The Michigan Secretary of State, basing its projection on the 2012 presidential primary, estimates that conducting the upcoming election will cost about $10 million.

Michigan law requires the state to repay county, city and township clerks -- who will have to hire temporary workers -- when a statewide election for a proposed constitutional amendment.

"For most jurisdictions -- those that won't have anything else on the May ballot -- that would mean full reimbursement," said Secretary of State spokesperson Fred Woodhams.

A new bill advanced out of committee this week and awaiting action on the House floor seeks to lower the cost of the May election by giving local clerks the option to consolidate election precincts that use polling places in the same building.

Clerks already have that option in local elections, provided they have fewer than 5,000 active voters in the precinct they want to consolidate. The proposal would allow the practice in non-general or non-primary statewide elections.

"The benefit is definitely saving money for the state," said sponsoring Rep. Henry Yanez, D-Sterling Heights. "As you can imagine, some of us are getting feedback that we shouldn't even be holding this election.

"So the fact that we can save the state money is a real benefit, but it also benefits the clerks as well, especially in the larger cities, where no matter how many people turn out, you have to man every precinct."

The legislation would let each clerk decide whether or not consolidation is appropriate based on their own local turnout estimates. Yanez said clerks in his district are anticipating low turnout in the May election and could consolidate with minimal affect on voters.

"This is really a consolidation of manpower," Yanez said. "If you vote at percent number three at Smith Elementary you will still vote at precinct number three at Smith Elementary. There will be no confusion for the voters at all."

Bruce Fealk of the Michigan Election Reform Alliance, which advocates for an open and accessible election process, said he typically is wary of consolidation but called this particular legislation "relatively harmless" because it would not change polling places.

The full fiscal impact of the bill would depend on how many clerks choose to consolidate, according to the nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency, but Yanez said he expects "a couple if not several million" in savings this May.

Warren Clerk Paul Wojno, a former state representative, testified in support of the bill earlier this week in the House Elections and Ethics Committee, telling lawmakers that his city has 53 precincts but only 36 locations where voters cast their ballots.

Consolidation would allow the city to hire fewer temporary election workers, according to Wojno, who estimated the change could save taxpayers between $25,000 and $35,000.

DeWitt Charter Township Clerk Diane Mosier also offered support for the bill, telling MLive that the township has seven precincts located in three polling locations.

"It will save thousands (of dollars) in our township," she said. "We would literally have double the manpower if we have double the precincts."

Mosier urged lawmakers to get the bill to the governor's desk by the end of the month, noting that current law does not allow consolidation within 60 days of an election.